A/N: Again. Some of this is based on spoilers. Due to the fact that some
people don't read spoilers, I won't tell you which part ;)
Hot Momma and Diner Defender
Liz sighed as she looked into Jess's room that night. He and Rory were curled up together on the bed, fast asleep. She leaned in the doorway and smiled.
"Hey," Luke said walking up behind her. He looked in and rolled his eyes. "Jeez..."
Liz smiled. "They're adorable... do you remember when Jess was little?"
Luke nodded. "I remember when they were both little." He sighed. "I remember when Jess wore glasses, and I remember when Rory used to run around the diner telling people she was a fairy."
"The prescription was so thin he didn't even need them," Liz smirked, and then her smirked turned into a full-blown smile. "A fairy?"
Luke sighed. "Don't ask me."
Liz nodded and looked back in at Jess and Rory. "You think he'll accept my apology?"
"You shouldn't be the one apologizing," Luke told her. "He's the one who slugged your fiancé in the face..."
"Yeah, but I'm the one who put out mixed signals," Liz argued. "One minute I'm uninviting my own son to my wedding, and the next I'm coddling him like he's three instead of nineteen... god he's nineteen... I'm so old..." She turned to Luke. "How did that happen?"
"Your guess is as good as mine," Luke replied. He sighed. "ry not to wake Rory... Lorelai says she's a pill when she wakes up."
"Where are you going?"
"Downstairs to close up," Luke replied.
Liz smiled as he turned to leave. "There wouldn't happen to be a Lorelai downstairs enjoying pie, now would there?"
Luke glared and left.
Liz smiled knowingly, and turned back to the bedroom to see that Jess was sitting up, staring at her. She watched as he carefully slid out of the bed and passed her as he walked out the door. She followed him over to stand in the kitchen area. She instinctively walked forward and began to inspect his injured eye.
"Did you put ice on that?"
He batted her hand away and went into the fridge, coming back out with cartons of left-over Chinese food.
"Listen, Jess," Liz said uneasily. "I'm really sorry... I was just so angry... You can't go around hitting people like that."
Still, he didn't reply, only put some Chinese food in the microwave and turned it on.
"TJ's a good man, Jess," Liz went on. "He makes me really happy. I haven't been this happy since..."
Jess stopped and turned to her, understanding.
"I want you to be happy that I'm happy," she said. "I want you at my wedding... in fact..." she smiled. "I have a special job for you."
*****
"You're an awful, evil woman."
Liz snickered as they stood at the foot of the outdoor congregation. Most of Stars Hollow had turned out for the wedding. "You know you love me."
"God help me."
She sighed as the music started playing. "All set?"
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Jess asked.
"I'm all set."
"Good. Let's get this over with."
*****
"Remember the last wedding we were at?"
"You weren't actually at the wedding," Rory snickered. "You stood off to the side and shocked me out of my skin."
Jess shrugged. "I felt present... I felt like the groom."
"What?!"
"Well, I did get kissed."
Rory blushed. "Yeah, well..."
He smirked and sat back in his chair at the reception.
She smiled. "You were so cute, walking your mom down the aisle."
"Shut up."
Her smile widened and she snickered.
He rolled his eyes.
At that moment, Jamie rushed over and slid to a stop in front of them. "Jess!"
"What?"
"Come help me spike the punch!"
Jess shrugged. "Okay."
Rory sighed. "Jess..."
He got up. "I'll be back in a few."
Jamie smirked and put an arm around Jess. "So, how cute were you walking mommy down the aisle."
"Go to hell."
*****
"So... this is a great party..."
Luke nodded. "Yeah, it turned out really nice."
"Liz made a beautiful bride," Lorelai went on, fiddling with the full glass of wine in her hand.
"Yup... and TJ made for the dumbest groom in the world," Luke nodded.
"Well today wasn't about TJ. It was about Liz," Lorelai smirked.
They sat in silence, and Lorelai cleared her throat softly after taking a sip of her wine.
Luke stared at her, and then shook his head. "This is ridiculous."
"What's ridiculous?" Lorelai asked, the faint sound of panic in her voice.
"This. Us. We've been tip-toeing around each other for weeks now!"
"We have?"
"We haven't?"
Lorelai sighed. "Okay... so... we have. We should stop."
"Right."
"So... let's... stop."
"Okay."
More silence followed.
"Have we stopped?" Lorelai asked hopefully.
"No."
"Dammit! How do we stop tip-toeing?"
"Dance with me."
Lorelai blinked. "Huh?"
Luke sighed. "Will you dance with me?"
"I don't know if that will help the tip-toeing," Lorelai replied.
"This isn't about-"Luke rolled his eyes. "I'm asking you to dance with me."
"So... this has nothing to do with the tip-toeing?" Lorelai asked.
"Will you just dance with me?!" Luke cried, obviously very annoyed.
Lorelai shrugged. "Oh... okay..."
They got up and walked to the dance floor.
******
Jamie glanced around them as he dumped a flask-full of something he most certainly wasn't supposed to have into the green punch bowl. He spotted Lorelai and Luke and smirked. "Hey, Jess... Hot Momma and the Diner Defender at three o'clock."
Jess squinted his eyes at his best friend, and then looked out to the dance floor, watching Luke and Lorelai. "Hot Momma and the Diner-... why are we still friends?"
"Because you can't live without me," Jamie leered. "Admit it. You love me more than you love Rory."
Jess slugged him in the stomach, and he grunted, doubling over.
*****
"So... we're dancing."
Luke nodded as he led Lorelai on the dance floor. "Yeah."
"This is nice."
He nodded again.
They danced in silence, and she hesitantly placed her head on his shoulder.
*****
Jimmy plopped down next to Rory and sighed. "Having fun?"
She nodded, her eyes fixed on Jess and Jamie, who were pushing each other around. "Yup. Lots of fun."
Jimmy smirked. "Al Delano's kid, right?"
Rory finally looked at him. "Huh?"
"Jamie," Jimmy pointed. "I used to know his father... way... way back when."
"Oh," Rory replied. "That's nice... Jamie's..."
"An idiot," Jimmy nodded. "Which is funny, cause from what I hear, his old man's a pretty smart guy... accountant or something."
She nodded again, and looked back at Jess. Liz had forced him to neaten his hair a little, and so it was brushed neatly, some of it falling on his forehead. It had looked neater at the ceremony, but without Liz's scrutiny, it was beginning to go back to its natural, untidy state. Rory liked it that way. He seemed less like himself without his disheveled look.
Jimmy followed her gaze, and smiled.
*****
Taylor spit out his punch upon tasting it. "My word! What is in this?!"
Liz walked over. "Everything alright, Taylor?"
"This punch doesn't taste right at all!" Taylor told her.
"Really? It tasted fine a few minutes ago..." She poured herself a cup and took a sip, thinking for a moment. "That's whiskey." She looked around and spotted Jess and Jamie talking to Gloria in a corner. "Oh... he's gonna pay."
*****
The band leader got the gatherers' attention and cleared his throat. "The bride has asked us to play a special song for her... and her son."
Jess stood, shocked, as Liz pulled him out onto the dance floor to the tune of Wind Beneath My Wings.
He glared at his mother harshly. "You evil, heartless bitch."
She snickered as she started dancing with him. "Let's just consider us even."
He glared and danced.
*****
Rory was making an honest effort not to laugh as she watched Jess and Liz on the dance floor. Truly, she was. But Jamie and Gloria, who were nearly falling out of their seats with laughter, weren't making it easy. Jimmy had his face in hands and was laughing, and Luke was turned around, smirking amusedly at his sister and nephew.
Lorelai snickered and put her arms around Rory and began to sing along.
"So you and Luke danced."
Lorelai stopped singing. "Uhm... yup. We danced. Danced."
Rory nodded. "And?"
"And, what?"
"Jimmy distracted me, did anything happen?"
"Besides the dancing?" Lorelai asked.
Rory nodded. "Besides the dancing."
"Uhm... no."
"No smoochies?"
"Rory!"
"Well?"
Lorelai sighed. "No."
"Do you want there to be?"
Lorelai bit her lip and stared at the back of Luke's head.
Hot Momma and Diner Defender
Liz sighed as she looked into Jess's room that night. He and Rory were curled up together on the bed, fast asleep. She leaned in the doorway and smiled.
"Hey," Luke said walking up behind her. He looked in and rolled his eyes. "Jeez..."
Liz smiled. "They're adorable... do you remember when Jess was little?"
Luke nodded. "I remember when they were both little." He sighed. "I remember when Jess wore glasses, and I remember when Rory used to run around the diner telling people she was a fairy."
"The prescription was so thin he didn't even need them," Liz smirked, and then her smirked turned into a full-blown smile. "A fairy?"
Luke sighed. "Don't ask me."
Liz nodded and looked back in at Jess and Rory. "You think he'll accept my apology?"
"You shouldn't be the one apologizing," Luke told her. "He's the one who slugged your fiancé in the face..."
"Yeah, but I'm the one who put out mixed signals," Liz argued. "One minute I'm uninviting my own son to my wedding, and the next I'm coddling him like he's three instead of nineteen... god he's nineteen... I'm so old..." She turned to Luke. "How did that happen?"
"Your guess is as good as mine," Luke replied. He sighed. "ry not to wake Rory... Lorelai says she's a pill when she wakes up."
"Where are you going?"
"Downstairs to close up," Luke replied.
Liz smiled as he turned to leave. "There wouldn't happen to be a Lorelai downstairs enjoying pie, now would there?"
Luke glared and left.
Liz smiled knowingly, and turned back to the bedroom to see that Jess was sitting up, staring at her. She watched as he carefully slid out of the bed and passed her as he walked out the door. She followed him over to stand in the kitchen area. She instinctively walked forward and began to inspect his injured eye.
"Did you put ice on that?"
He batted her hand away and went into the fridge, coming back out with cartons of left-over Chinese food.
"Listen, Jess," Liz said uneasily. "I'm really sorry... I was just so angry... You can't go around hitting people like that."
Still, he didn't reply, only put some Chinese food in the microwave and turned it on.
"TJ's a good man, Jess," Liz went on. "He makes me really happy. I haven't been this happy since..."
Jess stopped and turned to her, understanding.
"I want you to be happy that I'm happy," she said. "I want you at my wedding... in fact..." she smiled. "I have a special job for you."
*****
"You're an awful, evil woman."
Liz snickered as they stood at the foot of the outdoor congregation. Most of Stars Hollow had turned out for the wedding. "You know you love me."
"God help me."
She sighed as the music started playing. "All set?"
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Jess asked.
"I'm all set."
"Good. Let's get this over with."
*****
"Remember the last wedding we were at?"
"You weren't actually at the wedding," Rory snickered. "You stood off to the side and shocked me out of my skin."
Jess shrugged. "I felt present... I felt like the groom."
"What?!"
"Well, I did get kissed."
Rory blushed. "Yeah, well..."
He smirked and sat back in his chair at the reception.
She smiled. "You were so cute, walking your mom down the aisle."
"Shut up."
Her smile widened and she snickered.
He rolled his eyes.
At that moment, Jamie rushed over and slid to a stop in front of them. "Jess!"
"What?"
"Come help me spike the punch!"
Jess shrugged. "Okay."
Rory sighed. "Jess..."
He got up. "I'll be back in a few."
Jamie smirked and put an arm around Jess. "So, how cute were you walking mommy down the aisle."
"Go to hell."
*****
"So... this is a great party..."
Luke nodded. "Yeah, it turned out really nice."
"Liz made a beautiful bride," Lorelai went on, fiddling with the full glass of wine in her hand.
"Yup... and TJ made for the dumbest groom in the world," Luke nodded.
"Well today wasn't about TJ. It was about Liz," Lorelai smirked.
They sat in silence, and Lorelai cleared her throat softly after taking a sip of her wine.
Luke stared at her, and then shook his head. "This is ridiculous."
"What's ridiculous?" Lorelai asked, the faint sound of panic in her voice.
"This. Us. We've been tip-toeing around each other for weeks now!"
"We have?"
"We haven't?"
Lorelai sighed. "Okay... so... we have. We should stop."
"Right."
"So... let's... stop."
"Okay."
More silence followed.
"Have we stopped?" Lorelai asked hopefully.
"No."
"Dammit! How do we stop tip-toeing?"
"Dance with me."
Lorelai blinked. "Huh?"
Luke sighed. "Will you dance with me?"
"I don't know if that will help the tip-toeing," Lorelai replied.
"This isn't about-"Luke rolled his eyes. "I'm asking you to dance with me."
"So... this has nothing to do with the tip-toeing?" Lorelai asked.
"Will you just dance with me?!" Luke cried, obviously very annoyed.
Lorelai shrugged. "Oh... okay..."
They got up and walked to the dance floor.
******
Jamie glanced around them as he dumped a flask-full of something he most certainly wasn't supposed to have into the green punch bowl. He spotted Lorelai and Luke and smirked. "Hey, Jess... Hot Momma and the Diner Defender at three o'clock."
Jess squinted his eyes at his best friend, and then looked out to the dance floor, watching Luke and Lorelai. "Hot Momma and the Diner-... why are we still friends?"
"Because you can't live without me," Jamie leered. "Admit it. You love me more than you love Rory."
Jess slugged him in the stomach, and he grunted, doubling over.
*****
"So... we're dancing."
Luke nodded as he led Lorelai on the dance floor. "Yeah."
"This is nice."
He nodded again.
They danced in silence, and she hesitantly placed her head on his shoulder.
*****
Jimmy plopped down next to Rory and sighed. "Having fun?"
She nodded, her eyes fixed on Jess and Jamie, who were pushing each other around. "Yup. Lots of fun."
Jimmy smirked. "Al Delano's kid, right?"
Rory finally looked at him. "Huh?"
"Jamie," Jimmy pointed. "I used to know his father... way... way back when."
"Oh," Rory replied. "That's nice... Jamie's..."
"An idiot," Jimmy nodded. "Which is funny, cause from what I hear, his old man's a pretty smart guy... accountant or something."
She nodded again, and looked back at Jess. Liz had forced him to neaten his hair a little, and so it was brushed neatly, some of it falling on his forehead. It had looked neater at the ceremony, but without Liz's scrutiny, it was beginning to go back to its natural, untidy state. Rory liked it that way. He seemed less like himself without his disheveled look.
Jimmy followed her gaze, and smiled.
*****
Taylor spit out his punch upon tasting it. "My word! What is in this?!"
Liz walked over. "Everything alright, Taylor?"
"This punch doesn't taste right at all!" Taylor told her.
"Really? It tasted fine a few minutes ago..." She poured herself a cup and took a sip, thinking for a moment. "That's whiskey." She looked around and spotted Jess and Jamie talking to Gloria in a corner. "Oh... he's gonna pay."
*****
The band leader got the gatherers' attention and cleared his throat. "The bride has asked us to play a special song for her... and her son."
Jess stood, shocked, as Liz pulled him out onto the dance floor to the tune of Wind Beneath My Wings.
He glared at his mother harshly. "You evil, heartless bitch."
She snickered as she started dancing with him. "Let's just consider us even."
He glared and danced.
*****
Rory was making an honest effort not to laugh as she watched Jess and Liz on the dance floor. Truly, she was. But Jamie and Gloria, who were nearly falling out of their seats with laughter, weren't making it easy. Jimmy had his face in hands and was laughing, and Luke was turned around, smirking amusedly at his sister and nephew.
Lorelai snickered and put her arms around Rory and began to sing along.
"So you and Luke danced."
Lorelai stopped singing. "Uhm... yup. We danced. Danced."
Rory nodded. "And?"
"And, what?"
"Jimmy distracted me, did anything happen?"
"Besides the dancing?" Lorelai asked.
Rory nodded. "Besides the dancing."
"Uhm... no."
"No smoochies?"
"Rory!"
"Well?"
Lorelai sighed. "No."
"Do you want there to be?"
Lorelai bit her lip and stared at the back of Luke's head.